Advertainment

In this article...

MediaShares makes your equity crowdfunding message more watchable.

In today’s crowded media landscape, capturing and retaining investor attention is more challenging than ever. Why would any investor want to watch your ad?

To create really interesting and exciting ads that get investors to watch, MediaShares uses a technique we call “Advertainment” — a fusion of advertising and entertainment to promote equity crowdfunding investments. This is particularly effective in the video format, and as veterans in multi-award winning and entertaining video production MediaShares used this technique in our marketing for companies and products for many years before we used it to attract investors.

Examples of MediaShares’ “Advertainment

Classiblanca – A Movie Theatre Commercial for The Press Telegram

The Long Beach California Independent Press-Telegram had a challenge. They wanted a commercial to advertise their classified ads section run in movie theatres before the show. But movie theater patrons do not want to watch a commercial, because they have paid for a ticket to watch the movie. So the challenge here was to create an entertaining commercial that did not look like a commercial and still point out the features of their classified ads section.

To meet this challenge of creating “Advertainment,” we created our commercial to look like the film Casablanca, and we cast Jerry Lacy to play Bogart, as he was already famous for doing a Bogart impression in the Woody Allen film, Play It Again Sam.  Since our commercial was designed to advertise the classified section of this newspaper, we named it Classiblanca. MediaShares example of “Advertainment” worked very well to promote the classified ads in the Independent Press-Telegram.

Alice Cooper and His Snake – A Commercial for Callaway Golf

This commercial was designed to introduce the Callaway Golf Tuttle Two putter, and featured Alice Cooper, a snake, and Johnny Miller. It won a TELLY AWARD and is a good example of what we at MediaShares call “Advertainment.” Commercials like this are fun to watch, and viewers can often forget that they are being sold a product.

A Broadway Show Commercial for Burger King

To promote a special sale, this Burger King commercial was filmed at the Gershwin Theatre in New York City, and featured the cast of the Broadway Show Starlight Express. When Jane Krakowski finished this show she went on to become a great TV star. This production is another example of how MediaShares uses “Advertainment” to make a commercial message more entertaining.

The Adventures of Panthera – A film for Panther Jet marine drives

This 12-minute film was created to introduce the new Panther Jet, a marine jet drive propulsion system, and to show the advantages of this new jet drive system over propeller driven boats.

To do this, we created characters to represent the problems of propeller boats:

  • Black Prop: The bad guy who represents that propeller boats are the problem.
  • Wrapa Rope: A character who shows that propellers often get caught in ski ropes and this completely bogs them down.
  • Scape D. Ramp: A character who shows that outdrives on propeller boats get damaged on the ramp during launch.
  • Busta Blade: A character who shows that a propeller gets damaged on underwater rocks.
  • Wade A. Shore: A character who shows that when you get stuck in shallow water you will wade to the shore.
  • Panthera: In addition to the characters representing the problems of propeller boats, the heroine character of Panthera was created to represent Panther Jet drives, the new marine propulsion system that can actually eliminate the above problems. Obviously, in this film Panthera saves the day and she also eliminates the bad guy – Black Prop.

How Advertainment Attracts Investors

Investors will not invest without getting your message, and they will not get your message unless they watch. Humor is a powerful tool to attract them and make them watch. It can capture attention, enhance recall, and create a positive association with a brand. In video Advertainment, humor plays a crucial role in making the content enjoyable and shareable. Here’s how it enhances attracting investors.

  • Breaking Down Resistance: Humor has a unique way of lowering a viewer’s defenses against advertising. When viewers are laughing, they’re less likely to perceive the content as a direct sales pitch, which can lead to a more receptive attitude toward the brand.
  • Increasing Shareability: Funny content is more likely to be shared on social media. Viral humor can significantly increase the reach of an ad campaign, spreading the brand’s message far beyond the initial audience.
  • Creating Emotional Connections: Humor can humanize a brand, making it appear more relatable and approachable. Emotional connections forged through laughter are likely to have a lasting impact on brand perception.

Storytelling That Doesn’t Feel Like Advertising

When the advertising message is well integrated into the entertainment, it doesn’t feel like an ad at all. It’s just more fun. By incorporating elements of entertainment, particularly humor, Advertainment in video form can effectively capture attention and create dynamic interest in an investment. As advertising continues to evolve, MediaShares’ blend of genuine entertainment, mixed with our promotional messages in Advertainment, will likely play an increasingly prominent role in the strategies of forward-thinking marketers of investment opportunities.

MediaShares won our Fifth TELLY AWARD in May of 2024 for our video campaign for Futuris Company. We have previously won awards from The New York Festival, Clio, Los Angeles Art Directors, Worldfest, and the Homburg.

Telly Award

For startups and entrepreneurs looking to stand out in the equity crowdfunding landscape, investing in a high-quality MediaShares-produced video could be the key to unlocking your funding goals.

To learn more about how our award-winning Advertainment can help you attract equity crowdfunding investors or promote your brand, contact us.

Download Free Equity Crowdfunding Document